Automatic car-coupling.



PATENTED JANQG, 1903.

- G. A. HERMANSON.

AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

GUSTAF A. HEBMANSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES MUNTON, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COU PLING.

srscrrrcarron forming part of Letters Patent No. 717.746, dated January 1903- Application filed August 18; 1902. Serial No. 120,006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsrAF A. HERMAN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic couplers for railway-cars of theclass commonly known as Master Car-Builders Couplers and which have a forked draw-head, a pivoted knuckle, and a gravity-lock, and more particularly to improvements upon the carcoupler shown and described in mypending application, Serial No. 115,895, filed July17, 1902.

The object of my present improvement is to facilitate the lifting of the lock in my said coupler and the disengagement of its locking projection with the lower web of the drawhead by operation of the lifting-piece and to provide means for automatically throwing the knuckle open when the lock is raised and the cars separated.

My invention consists in providing the slotand-pin slidingconnection between the gravity-lock and liftingpiece with an incline or bevel face, so that when the lifting-piece begins to lift the lock it will tend to tilt the upper end of the lock forward and its lower end backward, and thus to disengage the locking shoulder, notch, or projection at the lower portion of the look from the lower web or floor of the draw-head, and thus facilitate the lifting of the look.

It further consists in providing-the draw head above the head or flange of the liftingpiece with a rearwardly-extending incline or bevel face to readily cause the liftingpiece and lock to be raised and the couplers uncoupled in case the draft-rigging of one coupler should give way and the coupler become disengaged from its car, so that the detached coupler may be supported by the lifting-lever and chain, and thus prevent it from dropping down upon the track.

It further consists in providing the coupler with a knuckle-throwing bent lever fitting on the floor of the draw-head under the knuckle and upon which the knuckle rests,

lifting-piece.

so that the weight of the knuckle may operate the knuckle-throwing lever.

It further consists in the novel devices and novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown or described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figures 1 and 2 are central. vertical longitudinal sections of a car-coupler embodying my invention, showing the parts in different positions. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Figs. i and'5 are front and rear elevations, respectively, of the combined locking-pin and Fig. 6 is a detail end View of the knuckle-throwing lever, and Fig. 7 a perspective view of same.

In. the drawings like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

In said drawings, A represents the forked draw-head of a car-coupler having the customary pivot-arm a and guard-arm a and draw-bar a B is the knuckle; O, the pivot-pin; D, the gravity -lock; F, the liftingpiece; G, the knuckle-throwing lever; H, the lifting-lever,

and h the chain connecting the same with the eye of the lifting-piece. The lifting-piece F has a sliding connection with the gravity lock D, the same consisting, preferably, of a slot (1 in the lock and a pin or projection f on the lifting-piece F and preferably cast integral therewith. The pin or projection f .on the lifting-piece has an incline or taper face 1 engaging a face 01 on the look,

The notch d and shoulder d on thelock from being raised except by and through the lifting-piece F. The sliding lifting-piece F extends at its lower portion through the passage-way a for the lock in the lower web a in the draw-head and alongside the lock and operates to hold or keep the locking shoulder d normally in engagement with the lower web of the draw-head, and thus prevent the lock from moving upward except when it is lifted by the liftingpiece. To permit the lock D to be tilted forward at its upper end and backward at its lower end to disengage its locking-shoulder d from the drawhead by action of the inclines (Z and f as above described, the lock is furnished with an inclined or tapering front face (P at its upper portion.

The lower end of the lifting-piece F is furnished with a tapering or bevel face f to facilicate its entrance into the passage or opening a and with a projecting toe or guide f which by engagement with the wall a of the lock passage-way a in the draw-head guides the liftingpiece in its downward movement. To facilitate the lifting of the look by the lifting-piece after the lifting-piece has been moved upward sufficiently to disengage its lower end from the hole or opening a in the lower web at of the draw-head, the interengaging shoulder d and web a one or both, and preferably the shoulder d are furnished with a taper or bevel face (1 The lifting-piece F is provided with an enlargementf at its upper end to fill the lock passage-way a in the draw-head and with the customary flange 0r shoulderf to cover or close the lock passage-way in, the drawhead. To enable the lifting-piece and lock to be properly lifted by a backward strain on the lifting-piece through the lifting-lever H and connecting-chain h, as occurs when the draft-rigging of a coupler gives way and the coupler drawn out from the car, the drawhead is furnished with an upward incline or tapering face a against which the flange or shoulder f of the lifting-piece slides or rides. This insures the proper uncoupling of the couplers in case the draft-rigging of one coupler gives way and causes the disabled coupler to be supported by the lifting-lever H and chain 72., and thus prevents derailment or accidents arising from the dropping of a disabled coupler on the track.

The lock D is provided at its lower end with an extension D, having a notch or recess 01 therein, the upper shoulder 61 of which is adapted to engage and rest upon the lower web a of the draw-head, and thus serve as a lock-set, said web a having, preferably, a raised seat a for the lock-set shoulder 01". After the lock is lifted by the lifting-piece to uncouple the cars and is then permitted to descend the projecting toe or guide f on the lifting-piece serves to guide the lock in its descent so that the lock-set shoulder (i will engage the lower web a of the draw-head, and thus set the lock in position for uncoupling, when the cars subsequently separate. The lower shoulder 61 of the notch or recess (2' also serves, by its engagement with the lower web a of the draw-head, to prevent the lock and lifting-piece connected therewith from being entirely removed from the draw-head, and thus being lost or stolen. A shoulder f on the lifting-piece engaging a corresponding shoulder a on the draw-head also cooperates to this end. The lock D likewise is also preferably furnished with an offset d The offset is somewhat above the shoulder f on the lifting-piece, so that when the lifting-piece and lock are nested together in a raised position the lifting-piece and lock can together be withdrawn from the drawhead and inserted in place. The lock D has an olfset d at its upper portion fitting a corresponding offset f on the lifting-piece. The lower portion of the lock, which cooperates with the tail of the knuckle, is thus made large to give a proper bearing against the tail of the knuckle, while its upper portion, which connects with the lifting-piece, is correspondingly small or thin, while the upper portion of the lifting-piece is made large to properly fill the passage-way of the draw-head, and its lower part F is small or thin and preferably somewhat tapering, so as to more snugly hold the lock in position and its shoulder d in proper engagement with the lower web a of the draw-head.

The knuckle-throwing lever G has a pivot portion g, which rests on the fioor of the draw-head, a curved arm g, which partially surrounds the pivot-pin of the knuckle and fits under the knuckle, and an offset upright arm g which fits between the vertical wall of the pivot-arm of the draw-head and the tail of the knuckle and acts against the tail 1) of the knuckle to throw the knuckle open by the gravity action of the knuckle itself on the curved arm g of the knuckle-throwing lever. The draw-head is provided with a groove or socket (1. to receive the pivot portion g of the knuckle-throwing lever, the knuckle-throwing lever being also in part kept in position by the pivot-pin G, which the curved arm 9 of the knuckle-throwing lever surrounds, and by the socket a formed in the pivot-arm of the draw-head to receive this curved arm g.

The knuckle B is adapted to move slightly up and down in the draw-head, as will be readily understood from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and itbeing in its uppermost position when closed, as shown in Fig. 1, and its weight being then supported on the curved arm g of the knuckle-throwing lever G it thus tends to tilt said lever and cause the upright arm 9 thereof to press against the tail of the knuckle and automatically throw the knuckle open as soon as the lock D is lifted.

I claim-- 1. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a gravitylock having a locking-shoulder at its lower portion engaging the lower web of the drawhead, and a lifting-piece having a sliding slotand-pin connection with the lock provided with an incline or tapering face to cause the upper end of the lock to be tilted forward and its lower end backward to disengage the locking-shoulder on the lock from the drawhead when the lock is raised by the lifting piece, substantially as specified.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination with -a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a gravitylock having a locking-shoulder at its lower portion engaging the draw-head, and a lifting-piece having a sliding connection with the lock and provided with a flange or shoulder at its upper end, the draw-head having an incline or taper face for the flange or shoulder of the lifting-piece to ride against to cause the lifting-piece and lock to be raised and the coupler uncoupled when the draftrigging gives way or the coupler-is disengaged from the car, substantially as specified.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a gravitylock, and a lifting-piece havinga sliding connection with the lock and provided with a flange or shoulder at its upper end, the drawhead having an incline or taper face for the flange or shoulder of the lifting-piece to ride against to cause the lifting-piece and lock to be raised and the coupler uncoupled when the draft-rigging gives way or the coupler is disengaged from the car, substantially as specified.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination with a forked draw-head, of a knuckle, a gravitylock, and a bent or crank-shaped knucklethrowinglever, having an arm fitting under the knuckle and operated by the gravity of the knuckle, and an operating-arm engaging the tail of the knuckle to throw the knuckle open, substantially as specified.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination with 

